CENTERVILLE - When warm weather comes, construction barriers will start springing up at one of the city’s busiest intersections.

The long-planned widening of the intersection of Main Street and Parrish Lane will start moving next month, when UDOT will release the project for bidding. Centerville City Manager Steve Thacker said the bid will likely be awarded in April, with construction expected to last through May and June.

“The estimate is that it will take about 45 days to complete, which means it should be done in time for our July 4 celebration,” he said.

The project will add two additional left-hand turn lanes to the intersection, one each on Main Street and Parrish Lane. Centerville has been considering the widening since 2007, though early versions only included a second left-hand turn lane on Main Street. UDOT added the second lane when it put the project on its agenda in 2009.

The goal was to reduce congestion in the intersection, as well as the pollution that comes from that. In fact, the original federal money for the project came from the government’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program.

“The idea is to reduce emissions,” said Thacker.

The planned widening came under fire from Centerville residents in late 2012, who protested that it would take property from the front yards of homes located near the intersection. One of those houses, the historic Joel Parrish home, was built in 1860.

Thacker said that agreements have been made with owners to purchase all the necessary property, with the paperwork on the final deal still being finalized as of last week.

The first signs of construction are expected to happen in March, when Rocky Mountain Power will relocate a few power poles currently in the way. Major construction is set to start in late April or early May.

City officials have made agreements with local business owners to keep access to them open throughout the project. The intersection itself will remain open throughout the construction, though there may be occasional total closures during nighttime hours. City officials will warn of closures and other developments under the “construction update” link on centervilleut.net.